Pam Lewison
Agriculture
Senate panel forgets farmers in discussion about agriculture
This oversight was never clearer than in a recent panel hosted by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), named American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. According to a description of the panel, the discussion was meant to provide “a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over ...
Agriculture
County fairs incubators for our next leaders, business owners
The air at county fairs is rarified in the hours before the food booths and carnival rides are open to the public. People can view exhibits in the various buildings on fairgrounds but the real stars at that time of day are the livestock shows. Kids, parents, indeed whole families ...
Agriculture
Civil discourse in ag policy matters
When I was in high school, one of my classes did a section on debating. We approached some difficult topics. I daresay some topics that would not be broached in public schools today. There were some ground rules to these debates. Do your research. Be prepared to answer difficult questions. ...
Agriculture
Win-win for farmers, communities in Colorado River agreement
Films like How the West was Won, teach viewers conquering the West was, and still is, about taming the landscape and the people in it. However, the true winning of the West is about maintaining access to clean, fresh water. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the U.S. Bureau of ...
Agriculture
Capping food prices will not fix grocery bills
Since the beginning of COVID, there has been a great deal of discussion about the supply chain but there is still not widespread understanding of how complex the system is. In the case of the food supply chain, there are several stops between the farm gate and a consumer’s plate. ...
Agriculture
Broccoli does not occur in nature, we should still eat it
“I only eat things that are natural.” “This color doesn’t occur in nature.” These are common arguments for why people should eat produce grown and labeled as “non-GMO” or “organic.” While there is certainly room in the market for these forms of agriculture, we should be careful about believing they ...
Agriculture
Balance between farms, fish needs to be found for food production
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink,” wrote Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. California’s farmers are feeling a similar sentiment this year with water allotments cut shorter than expected after a winter with abundant rain and snow. California is the produce basket of ...
Agriculture
Wildfires need more than money thrown at them to put the flames out
It has been an extraordinary year for California fires. The Park Fire currently raging as of this writing in Butte and Tehama Counties has destroyed nearly 300 homes and businesses and remains just 18 percent contained. More than 200,000 acres of have burned so far, well above the five-year average ...
Agriculture
Sonoma County Measure Would Put Animal Lives at Risk
There are nearly three times as many laying hens in Sonoma County as there are people. In a testament to the care area poultry farmers give to their livestock, many of the farms are multi-generational members of the county community. Yet, a ballot measure largely funded by animal activist group ...
Agriculture
Prop 12: Implementation aftereffects are just now becoming apparent
Under Proposition 12, veal calves must be provided 43 square feet of floor space, laying hens must be afforded 1 to 1.5 square feet of cage-free space either indoors or outdoors, and breeding pigs (sows) must be provided at least 24 square feet of space in a pen without touching ...
Senate panel forgets farmers in discussion about agriculture
This oversight was never clearer than in a recent panel hosted by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), named American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. According to a description of the panel, the discussion was meant to provide “a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over ...
County fairs incubators for our next leaders, business owners
The air at county fairs is rarified in the hours before the food booths and carnival rides are open to the public. People can view exhibits in the various buildings on fairgrounds but the real stars at that time of day are the livestock shows. Kids, parents, indeed whole families ...
Civil discourse in ag policy matters
When I was in high school, one of my classes did a section on debating. We approached some difficult topics. I daresay some topics that would not be broached in public schools today. There were some ground rules to these debates. Do your research. Be prepared to answer difficult questions. ...
Win-win for farmers, communities in Colorado River agreement
Films like How the West was Won, teach viewers conquering the West was, and still is, about taming the landscape and the people in it. However, the true winning of the West is about maintaining access to clean, fresh water. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the U.S. Bureau of ...
Capping food prices will not fix grocery bills
Since the beginning of COVID, there has been a great deal of discussion about the supply chain but there is still not widespread understanding of how complex the system is. In the case of the food supply chain, there are several stops between the farm gate and a consumer’s plate. ...
Broccoli does not occur in nature, we should still eat it
“I only eat things that are natural.” “This color doesn’t occur in nature.” These are common arguments for why people should eat produce grown and labeled as “non-GMO” or “organic.” While there is certainly room in the market for these forms of agriculture, we should be careful about believing they ...
Balance between farms, fish needs to be found for food production
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink,” wrote Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. California’s farmers are feeling a similar sentiment this year with water allotments cut shorter than expected after a winter with abundant rain and snow. California is the produce basket of ...
Wildfires need more than money thrown at them to put the flames out
It has been an extraordinary year for California fires. The Park Fire currently raging as of this writing in Butte and Tehama Counties has destroyed nearly 300 homes and businesses and remains just 18 percent contained. More than 200,000 acres of have burned so far, well above the five-year average ...
Sonoma County Measure Would Put Animal Lives at Risk
There are nearly three times as many laying hens in Sonoma County as there are people. In a testament to the care area poultry farmers give to their livestock, many of the farms are multi-generational members of the county community. Yet, a ballot measure largely funded by animal activist group ...
Prop 12: Implementation aftereffects are just now becoming apparent
Under Proposition 12, veal calves must be provided 43 square feet of floor space, laying hens must be afforded 1 to 1.5 square feet of cage-free space either indoors or outdoors, and breeding pigs (sows) must be provided at least 24 square feet of space in a pen without touching ...
